Daily Number

66.3 percent

March 7, 2012

New Jersey may be filled with "bedroom" communities, but when it comes to home ownership, it is basically average for the country. About 66.3 percent of New Jerseyans are homeowners, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, which is just slightly above average for 66 percent of the population of the United States.

The New Jersey rate of home ownership is lower than Pennsylvania (72 percent) and Delaware (74.8 percent) as well as states like Mississippi, Maine, Idaho, and New Hampshire. But it is certainly higher than some other states, notably New York (53.3 percent) and Hawaii (54.6 percent).

Despite real concern about foreclosures, New Jersey's homeowner vacancy rate has remained fairly steady at about 2.5 percent since 2008. Before the recession, homeowner vacancy rates ranged from about 1.4 to 1.7 percent.